Tag: 1115 waiver

Health policy, Medicaid

Thousands Lose Medicaid as Arkansas Implements First 1115 Work Requirement Waiver

by Molly Benoit2 Comments on Thousands Lose Medicaid as Arkansas Implements First 1115 Work Requirement Waiver
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Source: access.arkansas.gov via Bloomberg News

It’s 7am and I’m sitting in bed with too many beverages (coffee, water, smoothie–gotta get those leafy greens in) and too many tabs open (embryology review, TeamRads, Twitter, and multiple newspaper homepages). And oh yeah, my second anatomy exam is this afternoon.

But what I’m actually stressing about how thousands of low-income Arkansas residents no longer have Medicaid coverage. 

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Health policy, Medicaid

Medicaid Work Requirements Could Impose Burden on Working Poor

by Molly Benoit1 Comment on Medicaid Work Requirements Could Impose Burden on Working Poor

On June 29, 2018, the D.C. federal district court issued a ruling in Stewart v. Azar, a lawsuit brought by a group of Kentucky Medicaid beneficiaries challenging the Secretary of HHS’s approval of a Section 1115 Medicaid waiver that imposes work requirements, monthly premiums up to 4% of income, coverage lockouts, and other provisions on Kentucky’s Medicaid program that could lead to a loss of coverage for 95,000 enrollees. The judge ruled that HHS Secretary Azar violated the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) in approving the waiver by not adequately evaluating whether the requirement that beneficiaries log 80 hours a month of “work and community engagement” furthers the objectives of Medicaid.

In early 2017, CMS Administrator Seema Verma and former HHS Secretary Tom Price sent a letter to governors promoting more flexibility in the design of state Medicaid programs with 1115 waivers to refocus the program on the “truly vulnerable.” Republicans argue that social service programs, such as Medicaid, disincentivize work and favor imposing work requirements as a condition of receiving benefits. The Obama Administration did not allow states to pursue work requirements, which are predicted to make it a serious challenge for low-income individuals and families to retain Medicaid coverage. 

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